Political controversy surrounding TikTok began under the oversight of former US president Donald Trump. In 2020, Trump issued an executive order blocking “transactions” with TikTok parent company ByteDance. Legal battles stymied Trump’s efforts, with current president Joe Biden replacing the executive order with a new one ordering a review of apps tied to foreign adversaries. TikTok has since been banned from government devices in several states, including Alabama, Maryland, Texas, South Dakota, and Utah.
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The bill from Rubio, which is named the Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party or “ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act,” is explicitly designed to ban TikTok and any similar social media app from ByteDance in the United States. Rubio has previously claimed that the CCP could use TikTok to spread propaganda that “support party-friendly politicians or exacerbate discord in American society.”
TikTok has already responded to the bill, stating that it’s “troubling” that some members of US Congress are working to ban the app prior to the conclusion of Biden’s national security review. It states that the bill will do nothing to advance national security and that it will remain in contact with Congress regarding its future plans. TikTok has adamantly denied the accusations of Rubio and other Republican lawmakers.
The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is co-sponsored by two congressmen, Republican representative Mike Gallagher and Democrat representative Raja Krishnamoorthi. Despite that, it’s unclear if the bill will have substantial support in either party, let alone the bipartisan support necessary to pass both the US House of Representatives and Senate.
Despite the outcry among certain politicians, specific evidence of any wrongdoing by TikTok remains ambiguous. A report in 2019 did detail TikTok’s efforts to censor videos of Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, and the religious group Falun Gong. However, TikTok claimed its US operation does not censor political content or take instruction at all from ByteDance. Regardless, investigations into TikTok’s use of sensitive data and its threat potential continue. When Biden’s national security review of TikTok will be completed isn’t clear.
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